Sorry, i seem to have it a nerve with you, didnt mean that. Just that i i stay away from Aliexpress and generally anything that has to be imported from faaaaar away unless im absolutely shure its kosher, or if its so cheap (and preferably tested by somone here on riu) that im willing to run the risk.
The amount of info from the vendor is usually also relevant.
Ill still trust a company that sells in EU more than aliexpress. Last time i i oked i i couldnt find an adress or phone nr for them. And never ever saw any info on ppf/w by Mars.
Yes, things have changed from 6 months ago (no decent looking boards in eu at all), just looks like we have been looking in differnt places. Hope it helps and no offence meant.
I've bought certain things from Ali with no issues, but that's because of experience working with the aforementioned firm which means I know who to look for and know the quality. I mean, would you buy a MeanWell driver at an inflated EU cost over the same driver for less direct from the source? I know my choice, and I'm happy to wait 2 weeks for something rather than pay double for the same thing.
Same is now going for QB's, they are appearing at a considerable saving when compared to the likes of HLG and are shipped from within the EU via DHL and not the regular post service. As ever, doing your research is critical and that's where most people fall flat on their ass because they don't actually take the few minutes necessary to look at what they are actually getting, and others here and elsewhere have confirmed the quality and standards.
Now, I used the Mars kit as an example of how things have changed. Previously you would buy a tent for, say, 50 bucks but the delivery costs would be more than double that. Now the delivery is from a much more "local" distributor so the costs drop massively meaning you can get EXACTLY the same item at a lower cost, including delivery, than buying from an EU supplier who just slaps on a mark up he thinks people are stupid enough to pay. You talk about warranties, but now when you look at cellphones on Ali you see there is a warranty provided via Allianz which means, again, there is no shipping back to China at an extortionate cost should something go wrong.
The market is in constant flux, with the Chinese adapting to what the customer wants to ensure they get the sale instead of people going onto Amazon or Ebay and buying the same thing with what is likely to have poorer warranties and customer service yet at a higher price, those "Handy Heaters" advertised on TV at something like €50, or sold on the local markets at €40, are a perfect example as they actually cost under €20 so which way would you go on that sort of thing (not that I would buy one of them because I have an aversion to any sort of weight hanging on a wall socket, guaranteed to wear out the connections and burn out the socket, but that's my electrician's mind at work).
A sticky label with a "Made in the EU" or a pic of the Star-Spangled Sphincter called the EU flag is meaningless, no matter what the product is you MUST do your research properly irrespective of the source, and as things change so rapidly then doing so is a must to ensure you don't get ripped off as the oldest adage in the book still stands there front and centre, they'll only charge as much as they know people are stupid enough to pay, and grow lights of all kinds are one of the biggest examples of that.
